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Viral photos with Louisiana mall Santa end in arrest

BATON ROUGE, La. — Two men posing for photos with Santa at a Louisiana mall made it abundantly clear which of the Jolly Old Elf’s lists they belong on.

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The photos, taken recently at the Mall of Louisiana, show two men, one of whom brandished a handgun, posing alongside Santa with stacks of cash, WAFB reported.

Twenty-nine-year-old Almonzo Paul, who was not armed in the photo, has since been arrested on an outstanding warrant out of Texas, but the nature of the offense was not immediately known, WRBZ reported.

Meanwhile, Paul’s armed photo companion has not yet been identified publicly after the photos went viral on social media.

“How in the world would you allow something like this to even take place in the middle of your mall … I thought the mall was supposed to be family oriented???” one Facebook user posted on the Mall of Louisiana’s official page in response to the viral image.

Gene Satern, the facility’s senior general manager, confirmed to WAFB that mall management is aware of the photograph but declined to provide any additional information, citing the Baton Rouge Police Department’s ongoing investigation.